Tack feeding and stripping device



Dec. 2, 19 47.

, J. SABAITIS 2,431,831

TACK FEEDING AND STRIPPING DEVICE Filed March 11, 1946 ZSheetS Sheet 1 1 donu SABAms TTO RNEYS \NVEN TOR I sxm x Dec. 2, 1947... J. SABAITIS TACK FEEDING AND STRIPPINGDEVICE Filed March 11, 1946 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR dorm $AB A|T IS BY ATTORNEYS Mom Patented Dec 2, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TACK FEEDING AND STRIPPING DEVICE John Sabaitis, Grand Rapids, Mich. Application March 11, 194:6, Serial-- No.. 653,412.

'7 Claims.

a containing hopper are fed downwardly in line:

by gravity along an inclined way to the lower end of said device, at which a means is provided for receiving the lowermost tack and holding it in a position where, by use of a hammer having a head of magnetic material, the tack may be removed,

and, as magnetically attracted to and held on the head of the hammer, driven into any member to which the tack is to be attached, for example, a supporting surface for advertising sheets or the like.

Its primary object and. purpose of the invention to provide a very practical, novel and useful tack feeding device and one which is readily and easily produced. An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a partial front elevation and generally vertical section through the tack feeding device of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are transverse sections taken substantially on the planes of lines 3;3, i-i, and 5-5 of Fig, 1, looking in the directions indicated by the arrows and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view and Fig. '7 an underplan view of the lower end structure of the device.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction embodying my invention, an are shaped supporting member i of thin metal is used to the outer or front side of which the tack feeder of my invention is secured. Said supporting member I is adapted to have belt members connected at its ends so that when placed around the body the tack feeding device carried between supporting member I is located at the front of the person using it in a convenient position.

In the construction of the tack feeding device, two plates, 2 and 3, of sheet metal are provided spaced from each other, said plates diverging and extending away from each other at their upper portions (Figs. 3 and 4) and terminating in spaced downwardly extending vertical sections 3. One of said plates, the plate 2, is permanently connected in any suitable manner to the curved supporting member i, by welding, soldering, bra ing or equivalent connection. Said plates are longitudinally inclined substantially atan angle approximating or i degrees to the horizontal as illustrated, which angle however is capable of variations without changing the invention.

Between the upper end portions of said spaced plates a hopper for receiving a quantity of tacks is provided, The plates 2 and 3 make spaced sides for the hopper with a back 5 between the plates at their upper ends providing a closed upper end. Said plates 2 and 3 at their upper edges are turned inwardly towards each other making guide flanges 5 (Figs. 2' and 3) and at the inner sides of said plates 2 and 3, cooperating flanges guide member I are welded or soldered in place spaced from the flanges G for slidably mounting a top or cover 8. At the lower end of the hopper, equivalent guides-9 are provided for the mounting of a slidable lower end III of said hopper.

Between the lower side sections 4 of the plates 2 and 3 spaced vertical bars II are located and secured, at their upper ends spaced from each other by Spacing blocks I2, The width of the bars II is greater than the lengths of the tacks, and the distance between bars is less than the diameters of the heads of the tacks. Therefore, the tacks within the hopper, upon entering the ways between the bars II, will have their head riding upon the edges of said bars, while the pointed shanks of the tacks extend into the ways between said bars. The bars are held in properly spaced relation by spacing blocks I2 previously mentioned, an under cross member I 3 between .the ends of said bars, and an inverted U-shaped stirrup I4 near the lower ends thereof. As shown in Fig. 2 there are three of said bars I I which extend underneath the hopper and then downwardly beyond its lower end substantially to the lower ends of the plates 2 and 3, adjacent which position the intermediate bar I I terminates, while the two side bars are brought closer together, the two parallel tack ways at the upper portion of the device joining and making a single way between the longer side bars II which extend beyond and below the lower ends of said sides 2 and 3.

At the lower end portions of the two extended bars II, a member I5 of sheet metal, having upwardly and outwardly inclined sides and a lower end is permanently secured, extending above the upper edges of said side bars. Said member is located adjacent the lower edges of the adjacent stirrup I4, the upper cross member of which is spaced from the upper edges of the bars II permitting the tacks to pass underneath the stirrup and into the substantially funnel like upper part of the member I5. A plate It is located at the upper edges of said bars I I within the funnel member and at its inner or upper end is formed with a somewhat elongated, narrow substantially V-shaped slot H, the fingers at each side of the slot I! being progressively flattened and brought to a thin edge to their free ends as shown in Fig. l.

Tacks sliding down the ways provided by the spaced bars II come in succession to the member It the shanks thereof entering the slot I1 and the heads riding upon the spaced fingers at each side of the slot H. In such position the magnetized 3 head of a hammer may be entered into the upper open side of the member 55 and brought sufficiently close to a head of the tack, positioned described, whereupon the tack is lifted on the removal of the hammer and be driven in the usual manner.

The construction thus far described is operative with the plate l6 held against movement. I prefer however to mount the plate 16 for a longitudinal movement, securing it at the upper end of a slide block 18 which extends downwardly between the lower ends of the bars H. A headed rod I9 is connected to the block H8 at its lower side and passes through the wall of the member l for manual engagement to move the slide block 18 and .the plate l6 connected therewith. Such movement will carry the slotted end of the plate 16 partially under the stirrup Hi to engage it underneath the head of the tack, should such tack not freely move to proper position with respect to the slot I! and the fingers of the plate l6 at each side thereof.

Means are provided to hold the block 18 in position as in Fig. 1. to and depends from said bars I! and the stirrup I4 at the upper or inner edges of said stirrup. At its lower end it is formed into two rolls 2| spaced from each other, through which a cotter pin 22 is passed (Fig. 5). Plate 20, at its lower edge between its sides, is vertically slotted for a distance, as in 23, one of the rolls 2| being at each side of the slot. A rod 24 connected at the lower end of the slide block l8 passes through the slot 24 and above the cotter pin. A coiled compressed spring 25 is located around the rod 24 between the block it and the plate 25, normally holding block 15 and plate 16 connected therewith in lower position.

With a construction as described, and the hopper of the device being supplied with a quantity of tacks, the tacks will leave the hopper located in the ways between the bars H, down which they slide by gravity; and below the lower ends of the plates 2, said bars are given a greater inclination to accentuate the gravity effect and insure a continuous supply of tacks at the lower delivery end of the device. The tacks are taken one at a time, and when a lowermost tack is removed the next succeeding tack moves into the place occupied previously by it.

The construction described is of an economical, relatively simple structural design and may be produced and marketed at reasonable cost. The invention is very effective and useful for the purposes for which it has been built.

The claims appended hereto define the invention and are to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a tack feeding device, a hopper to receive a quantity of tacks, spaced bars lengthwise of the hopper at the bottom thereof providing a way between the bars for reception of the tacks in line, with the heads of the tacks riding upon the bars at opposite sides of the way, said bars extending beyond the hopper in a downward incline, and a plate secured over the bars at their lower ends provided with a longitudinal slot for a portion of its length open at its inner nd, the lowermost tacks coming into succession into said slot and having the heads thereof resting upon the plate at opposite sides thereof, in posi- A metal plate 20 is secured tion to be removed by a magnet brought within attracting distance from said heads.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, and a member havin vertical sides and an outer end at the lower end of said bars and located around the lower end portion thereof, said sides and ends above the bars being inclined outwardly, and said slotted plate being located within said member.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, and a member of sheet metal having spaced sides and a lower end embracing the lower end portions of said spaced bars and secured thereto, said sides and ends above the bars being inclined outwardly and upwardly, and said slotted plate being located above the bars within said member, a block to which the plate is connected extended downwardly between said bars, means for manually moving said block and attached plate longitudinally of the bars, and yielding means resisting such movement and acting to return said block and bracket to lowermost position when free to do so.

4. A construction as defined in claim 1, said slotted plate at each side of the slot thereof being progressively decreased in thickness from adjacent the inner end of the slot to the outer open end thereof.

5. In a tack feeding device, parallel spaced bars located at an angle to the horizontal and providing a continuous way in said space between the bars for tacks to slide by gravity in a downward direction with the heads of the tacks resting with the upper edges of said bars, means for securing the bars in spaced relation, a side plate secured at the outer side of each outer bar extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, an end member extending between the upper ends of the plates, a front end member spaced from the first end member thereby providing a holding hopper for tacks, said plates extending downwardly away from the hopper, and a plate located above and resting against the upper edges of said bars at their lower end portions, said last plate being provided with a longitudinal V-shaped slot from its inner end part of its length, into which slot the tacks moving down said bars are successively received and positioned for successive removal.

6. A construction as defined in claim 5, and a thin metal plate of curved form located horizontally with respect to the inclined bars and permanently connected at the outer side of one of said side plates.

'7. A construction as defined in claim 5, said bars beyond the lower ends of said side plates being shaped to have a greater inclination to the horizontal than between said side plates for a distance, and then shaped to have a lesser inclination to the horizontal.

JOHN SABAITIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,051,282 Smith Jan. 21, 1913 1,221,736 Holland Apr. 3, 1917 1,818,051 Duplessis Aug. 11, 1931 

